


Out of Time

by ANKIRA



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Slow Burn, Tags to be added, brief mentions of killua's family, gon is a ghost
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-06 18:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11606472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANKIRA/pseuds/ANKIRA
Summary: The boy narrowed his eyes and smiled at him. It wasn’t a friendly smile. It was a smile full of bad intentions. It was a smug grin.Killua doesn’t think he’s ever been so scared in his life.(In which a lonely Killua discovers a sad spirit named Gon in an abandoned building.)





	1. Prologue

It’s rainy days like these, when Killua sneaks out of his residence for some peace of mind. He’s in his teenage phase of always wanting to be alone, avoiding his family and friends. He enjoys the solitude more than anything else, finding solace in being alone with his thoughts while creeping through the woods, exploring, trying to discover new things on his own.

Every time he left the house, his feet would take him down new routes and paths in desire to explore the unknown. Maybe something unexpected would happen if he turned left instead of right. Maybe he could find new places to walk in and explore. His favorite places were old, abandoned buildings. It was almost like discovering treasure. There was something about the stale smell, the eerie atmosphere, and the pitch-black darkness that made him feel… at home. He’s never felt that feeling at his actual house in Kukuroo.

He lingers around an industrial area, not too far from the woods, watching the sunset creep along the horizon. The steady droning of the machines helps him sleep. It was a lot more pleasant than the dead silence at home. The uncomfortable silence where he could hear his own heartbeat and blood running. It was unnerving, and it was one of his least favorite sounds. It made his ears ring, and he couldn’t sleep. That’s why he sought peace outside of his home, alone by himself, without anyone to bother him. _Especially_ Illumi.

Killua shivered. Just thinking about his older brother made his stomach churn.

Later that night, around one in the morning, Killua returned home. The entire family was up, besides Alluka and Milluki. When he was within his mother’s eyesight, he sighed. She came bustling over, looking furious. He got an earful that night, for a good hour and a half. He tried not to stay away from home for too long, but he knew he was pushing their limits. One of these days, they are going to place a curfew rule on him. He should be careful to come home earlier, or his freedom might be further restricted… Killua decided not to resist, apologizing profusely as to subdue his mother’s anger. He didn’t want any more problems. His mother was ruthless.

He returned to his room around three in the morning. Everyone glared at him in the corners of their eye, making him feel a little uncomfortable. They all faced away from him. That made his stomach feel unpleasant. His eyes lingered over Alluka’s closed door. He desired to open Alluka’s door and talk to her, to bond with her and to love her, but he couldn’t bring himself to wake her up, not at this ungodly hour, not at any hour. He loitered outside of Alluka’s bedroom for a minute, staring at his shoes, not wanting to leave Alluka’s door but not wanting to stay. The staring eyes that burned his back made the hairs on his neck stand up, so he quickly continued to his room.

He collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. His eyes wandered over the tiles, and focused on the flickering of a nearby candle. The bed he was resting on was solid, with no covers. He was used to sleeping like that, so it was fine with him. The emptiness and heavy silence of the room made his heart pang with sadness. Why was he sad? He couldn’t pinpoint a reason. He felt dread, sadness, and…

That’s it. He was lonely.

He quickly turned to his side, chasing the thoughts out of his head. The pressure on his heart didn’t fade, but he forced himself to forget. To forget the feeling that made his heart heavy when he passed by Alluka’s door.

Sleep did not come to him as fast as he hoped it would. He stayed up for a few hours, thinking, tossing and turning. Rarely did he ever get enough sleep, but it couldn’t be helped. He was an assassin, and he should be lucky to get sleep at all…

He restlessly traced a finger across his bed, mind wandering. And then a thought came to him—and it made his heart skip a beat. He bit his lip. He could run. Run away, and seek freedom. It was a lovely idea to get another few days of alone time, but he knew that they’d inevitably find him and force him back home for a punishment. He’d somehow have to locate all the trackers on his body and dispose of them… the needle in his head was removed, but there could be many other types of trackers in his body… only God knows what else.

He ended up on his feet, stretching out his aching limbs. To escape, he should try to act as calm as possible. By now, everyone was in their respective chambers so it should be a lot easier to leave undetected. He concealed his aura and walked silently out of the house, and in an hour, he was walking down Kukuroo Mountain. He was lucky that everyone was either sleeping, distracted, or didn’t care. Sometimes, running away wasn’t so easy.

When he turned around to face his home, the scene looked beautiful. The sunrise was peaking over the mountain, washing the morning light over him and softening his features. It was a hell of a lot easier to see, at least. He wanted to plan what he would do and where he would stay, but he was exhausted from a sleepless night. He just closed his eyes and let his feet carry him wherever they wanted. The early morning breeze felt refreshing and calmed him down considerably. It ruffled his tangled hair, and he took a deep breath in.

After endless walking—he lost count of the minutes—he sat on the ground and laid back. He was farther away from home now, which relieved him. He watched the sunrise with a dreamy gaze. The sky and its colors were some of the most beautiful things he’s ever witnessed. The warm colors made him feel safe. He closed his eyes and smiled slightly, letting his mind ease. The atmosphere out here was a lot better than the atmosphere of his dark room at home. The muscles in his body relaxed, and he could feel himself becoming sleepy. He shouldn’t sleep out here in the open, vulnerable, but he couldn’t help it.

He relaxed his body and let the gentle breeze lull him to sleep.

 

* * *

 

When he came to, the sun was setting. He must’ve slept the entire day. He slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his tired eyes. Had he really slept that long? He must’ve been really exhausted…

He yawned and slowly pushed himself off the ground. He looked around quickly, observing his surroundings closely. His assassin reflexes kicked in and he allowed himself to analyze his environment. He hated using those reflexes, but he didn’t want to be in any danger, especially when he was alone. After confirming he was alone in the area, he relaxed his body again and stretched, heaving a big sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about.

That’s when he noticed a building not too far away from him. He hadn’t seen this one before. It looked old, like a rusting metal. He jogged over to it, excited. Maybe he could stay there until he figures out a plan.

Up close, it looked larger. There was an old, unreadable sign hanging off one side. Moss grew in patches all over the exterior of the building, and the paint had chipped, leaving dark splotches of color. Vines wrapped around the roof and the windows, hanging down the side, almost like hair. The ground around the building was missing a lot of grass. It looked very… dreary. He loved that.

Killua walked up to the building with his senses on high alert. The door was ajar. He pushed it open wider with his shoe and entered inside. It was all dark and grey, save for the sunlight that filtered in through the shattered windows. The building must’ve been decades old. Surprisingly, it was still standing. Some parts of the wall were cracked, and bricks were out of place. Why is this place still here?

He stalked deeper into the building. There were many rooms, mostly empty and filled with cobwebs. A couple of other rooms had some furniture. An empty nightstand covered in dust, a half-melted candle. There were pieces of broken glass and debris everywhere. None of the rooms had doors… this was one of the oldest places he’s come across. He turned a corner, and there was a staircase leading to the second floor. The wall up there was painted with graffiti. Maybe he could write his name down and mark his presence! He could even use his own blood… or maybe that would be too risky. He’d have to find some sort of writing utensil in this building.

The question was; should he ascend? He tested the first stair with his foot, and it creaked loudly. Suddenly frozen in fear due to reflexes, a pair of wide blue eyes shot around, making sure no one heard. He quickly forced his body into a state of _Zetsu,_ concealing himself. The building appeared to be empty, but what if there were enemies inside? He formed _En_ with his aura and spread it out as far as he could. Standing still for a few minutes, nothing was felt moving into his area of En. That means nobody should be here. The building wasn’t that big either, so his En encompassed most of it. Then it was decided that it was okay if he went up the stairs. There were no major threats detected. He slowly ascended, putting one foot in front of the other. He cringed as the stairs creaked loudly with his every step. The noise really annoyed him, so he sped up his pace, wanting it to be done sooner.

Mistake.

As soon as he haphazardly set his foot down on the next step, the wood beneath him caved. His heart leaped to his throat and he cried out in surprise, his hands scrambling for purchase on the handrail. Reflexively, his nails transformed into sharp razors and he gripped the handrail so hard that his nails dug in deep and kept him from falling.

Sighing and shaking slightly from the surprise, he lifted himself up with his hand and jumped to the top of the stairs. He put his hands on his knees and breathed slowly, trying to calm himself down. That was terrifying.

He was scared even further when his ears picked up on sounds he shouldn't be hearing.

Giggling, gasping, and then the scurrying of feet running away. The wood creaked fast and loud as the trespasser made their great escape.

“Hey! Wait!” Killua cried out, in shock. Someone was there?! How was that possible? He checked the area with his En! Anything that was breathing would instantly be detected! He couldn’t let them get away! His senses kicked into overdrive and he started after the intruder. “Wait! Come back!” He saw a vague shadow turn a corner, and he chased after it. When he turned the same corner, it was a dead end, save for a single door at the end of the hallway. It was ajar.

With bated breath, he slowly crept toward the door. His heart was pounding fast. Who was this person, who could bypass his En? The thought of someone being so powerful enough to evade his strong and precise En made his hands clam up. Who was behind that door?

The wood floor slowly creaked under his feet as he approached the door. He lifted a shaky hand, and slowly twisted the doorknob. His eyes widened at the sight before him.

_Run._

There was another boy his age, standing by the open window, next to the bed. During his exploration, the sky had gotten darker, but there was no doubt—the boy he saw was far from human. Aside with spiky black hair and a darker complexion, something was very off about him. It made his heart squeeze in fear. Something about him seemed very, very wrong. His heart beat even faster when he saw that the boy didn’t have a shadow, and he stopped breathing at that point. He must’ve made some sort of strained noise, because the boy began to move. Killua’s body tensed up, his breath shaking, as he watched the boy slowly turn his head.

Their eyes met… or rather, Killua’s eyes met white. The boy’s eyes were completely white, blank, with no pupils. The corners of his eyes were very bloodshot, red veins crawling across his sclera. Killua couldn’t move.

_Run… run away…_

The boy narrowed his eyes and smiled at him. It wasn’t a friendly smile. It was a smile full of bad intentions. It was a smug grin. Killua doesn’t think he’s ever been so scared in his life. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t move.

 _R_ _un,_ Illumi said. _Run… Run... Run… Run…_

But his body wouldn’t listen. He wanted to turn around and run so bad, but his body wouldn’t move. Why isn’t his body responding? He finally started to breathe again, but it was labored. “Wh- H-” He cut off, unable to form words. Wide bloodshot eyes seemed to stare right into him, despite having no pupils. It was grotesque, but he couldn’t look away.

“How?”

He blinked, and the boy was gone.

His chest heaved and his breath shook. His eyes darted around quickly, trying to look for the other. Where? Where did he go? All he could hear was his erratic breathing and his heart pounding in his ears. He looked back at the room again—empty, the curtains blowing slightly in the breeze. It was almost as if that boy was never there.

He found himself paralyzed, unable to move. Then he heard the floor creaking a few feet behind him, and he tensed up further. Was it him? The creaking slowly got closer and closer, and Killua was really shaking now. Why couldn’t he move? His every muscle screamed at him to move. He felt cold breath against his neck, and rough hair tickling the side of his face. Killua’s eyes remained looking straight ahead, too scared to even move a single muscle. The boy was right behind him, he could feel it.

An ice-cold vice clamped around his neck, and breath against his ear made him shiver.

 

“Leave,” It whispered.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Killua and Gon get to know each other a little.

_Leave._

That single word made his blood run cold. He felt a feeling like that of Illumi’s malicious nen, engulfing his entire mind. He’s never felt such an unpleasant feeling… Killua stood for a second, shaking, and then he felt himself coming back to his senses. He violently ripped the cold feeling away from his neck and activated Godspeed, disappearing faster than lightning.

In an instant, he was about a mile away from the building. He collapsed on his knees, breathing heavily, staring distantly at the ground. Just what the fuck was that? That person scared him to the core of his being. He felt the urge to find solace back at home after a scare like that, but he knew there was nothing for him there. So instead, he just idly walked around, trying to figure out a way to the nearest city. He’d never return there.

Distantly, he heard the motor of a vehicle, which pulled him out of his thoughts. No—he heard multiple engines running. He peeked out of the corner of his eye; a bunch of trucks were heading toward the direction of the building. The trucks didn’t have labels on them, so he couldn’t figure out what they were there for. Deciding he had nothing better to do now, he slowly followed the trucks. Would they encounter the being inside the building?

He watched from a distance, peeking from behind a tree. What were they here for? Were they going to inspect the building? They parked a few feet away from the buildings broken entrance, and a few men began to step out of the trucks. Killua chuckled silently to himself. Certainly, this would make for great entertainment. He couldn’t wait to see the shocked look on their faces! Killua could feel himself smiling dumbly at the thought, and he was thankful no one was around to see it.

Some men lingered by the trucks, and one was on the phone. They were all wearing some sort of uniform, so it might’ve been an organization that was looking to inspect the house, for whatever reason. The other men disappeared inside, and Killua could feel himself idly gazing at the thin stream of smoke that rose into the air as one lit a cigarette. The smoke disappeared as they walked deeper into the building.

Faintly, he heard birds, and his eyes flicked up to the sky. There were some black specs in the air not too far away, and it looked like they were going to pass over here. He watched them with a bored expression, waiting for some action to happen in the building. As the birds came closer, they didn’t look like ordinary small pigeons. Their brown wings reminded him of an eagle, swooping down to meet its prey. He squinted his eyes, and no way— _they were vultures? Why were vultures coming? Didn’t vultures eat—_

Suddenly, a shout erupted from inside the building. Killua’s eyes widened as he heard something big hitting the ground, and a bunch of shouts followed that. The guys by the trucks stopped and turned to look, surprised. They quickly ran into the building to see what was happening, and the noises traveled closer to the entrance.

A bunch of scruffy guys stumbled out. Their clothes were a little dirty, and they looked fatigued. “Let’s get the fuck out of here!” One of them shouted, and all the men ran toward the truck. Out of the corner of his eye, Killua could see something very faintly by the entrance. Was it him? He moved away from the tree a bit, squinting his eyes. It was the same boy he saw before, he could tell—he saw the old dirty shirt and the spiky hair on the top of his head. He looked animalistic, and his body was in a defensive stance. He looked like he wanted to run out of the building and chase them, but something was holding him back.

Killua watched as the trucks hurriedly sped off, disappearing into the road. The other’s tense body softened, and it turn around to head inside, like an animal sauntering into its cave. It was almost as if… it was a person protecting its home.

Impulsively, Killua decided to leave his hiding place and run toward the building. If the boy tried to attack him, he’d use Godspeed.

“Hey!”

The boy turned around, looking startled. Then, he smiled softly. His voice was low and threatening.

“If you come any closer, I’ll kill you.”

He stretched out the arm hidden behind his back, revealing a switchblade. Killua ignored him, walking closer. Using tactics like that, making his body freeze up, this person has got to be dangerous.

“Wouldn’t it be a shame if this building collapsed? You’re playing a dangerous game here.” He walked away from the boy and next to the entrance within the boy’s field of vision. He reached out his hand and zapped the concrete wall with electricity, making small cracks. “Stop!” The other shouted, looking worried. “Stop it right now!” He threw his switchblade at Killua with alarming precision, and it nicked the side of his arm as it flew past him.

That action confirmed his suspicions.

“Why don’t you step outside, boy? Come on out.” He beckoned the boy with his finger, smiling smugly. The other shook his head, looking defensive. He reached his hand out and zapped the wall again, with a brighter bolt. The boy reached his hand out, surprised, and fell to his knees. “Stop it already! Is it money that you want?”

Killua gave up his cruel game. “I want you to tell me what happened before. With me.” He stared at the boy, waiting for an answer. The other wore a guilty expression, and his eyes looked apologetic. “Look… I’m sorry. I’m stupid and I like to play pranks. I just wanted to scare you away…” He held his hands up, surrendering. His eyes avoided Killua’s gaze, but it didn’t look like he was lying. He only looked afraid.

“But why?” Killua asked, walking closer.

“I guess… I just thought you were here with those guys. They want to demolish this building, but I… I really like this place, a lot! And I don’t want to see it go. So I scared them away, like you.”

“What’s so special about this old shack?”

“Hey!” The boy scowled. Then, he playfully stuck out his tongue. “You’ll have to reach level five to reveal my answer.”

“Haaah?!” Killua put his hands on his hips, gritting his teeth. He lowered his guard slightly. While he couldn’t feel this mysterious person’s aura, he could tell he was a benevolent soul. He didn’t know how he could tell, but he just felt it in his heart, his intuition, that he can trust this kid.

“Anyways… I’m Gon. I’m just living here for a while, until I have enough money to rent an apartment. AKA, I’m homeless…” Gon gave a half smile, scratching his head. “I’m really sorry about earlier, I rarely get visitors, and when I do, they’re the people who want to destroy this place. It’s really nice to see a boy around my age every so often…”

Something about the boy's answer... made him feel off. It felt like a lie... there were too many holes in that explanation. He decided to ignore it.

“Don’t you have any parents or relatives?”

“Well… no. They’re all dead.” Gon said this so casually that it was a little frightening. He decided not to push further, since it wasn’t his place anyway. Noticing that Gon’s clothes were smudged with dirt, he scowled. “Don’t you have any change of clothes?” He looked up and down Gon’s body. The clothes didn’t look fresh at all. And then he looked away quickly, realizing with a slight blush that he was checking him out.

“Wh-Whatever, I don’t care. Maybe I’ll get you some later, if I feel like it.” The shorter boy smiled and thanked him, looking a bit guilty.

Suddenly, Killua remembered something and shivered. “By the way… how did you do that thing… with your eyes?” He remembered the blank, bloodshot eyes staring into him. “Oh… that. Don’t worry about it, okay? Just some trick…” Gon smiled awkwardly. “M-Maybe I’ll teach you about it sometime… _If I feel like it_ ,” He mimicked Killua and giggled. “Hmph!” The white-haired boy pouted angrily.

“Ya know, Gon, I’m feeling hungry, and there’s something I want to get from the store. Why don’t you come with me so I can get you something to eat?”

Gon just smiled nervously and nodded. Killua turned around and began to stroll away, but after a few seconds he realized Gon wasn’t following. He turned back again and beckoned the boy over with his hand. “C’mon, there’s no one out here. It’s safe.” The boy nervously fidgeted with his fingers, and then spoke up.

“I think I’ll just stay here, if that’s okay with you.”

“C’mon Gon. Are you gonna tell me you got food in there? You look like you haven’t been outside in days.”

“Don’t worry, Killua, I’ll be fine!” He insisted, crossing his arms. “I promise! But while you’re gone, I’m gonna go see if I can wash up a little bit.” He shooed Killua away toward the entrance and waved.

“Thank God! You reek!” Killua jokingly put a hand over his nose, smiling. Turning around, he began to walk away from the building. “I’ll be back in an hour so you better be squeaky clean by then!”

“Okaaaay!”

When Killua was out of sight, Gon sighed and returned inside. His smile fell as he walked into the other room, looking at the dusty cabinets. He leaned against the chipped counter and stared at the sink with distant eyes. Even though he knew he was going to be disappointed, he opened the cabinet anyways, just to confirm again that there wasn’t a single thing inside.

Not in a few years.

 

What was he going to tell Killua?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry this one was shortish, but i can promise you the next chapter will be longer!!! a lot longer!! and lots of things will happen :))

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you think!!!!!!! should i continue?


End file.
